Chapter 2

The opera had just ended, and I felt like the theater lobby neon signs were bleeding together into this violent streak of red.

"You alright?" Kaelen’s arm wrapped around my waist, anchoring my weight against his side.

I couldn't feel my legs. A suffocating heat pooled in my stomach, spreading rapidly through my veins.

Within ten minutes, he took me to a nearby hotel.

I was completely losing control of my body. It felt like severe alcohol intoxication, but the heat was too aggressive. Too wild.

His hands slipped under my shirt, lifting the fabric.

"Maeve," he murmured, his breath hot against my neck. "You love me, right?"

Love? I didn't care about love right now.

If my life was going to rot away on a miserable fog-choked rock, I was going to use him first.

Taking my first time with a virile, prime-condition athlete was infinitely better than lying under the skeletal, dying men of Moray.

I grabbed his collar and pulled his mouth down to mine.

I parted my legs willingly when he pushed me onto the mattress. His hockey-calloused fingers gripped my bare thighs, pressing hard enough to bruise.

Then, he pushed inside.

"Yeah," I gasped out, wrapping my legs tightly around his narrow waist to pull his hips flush against mine. "I love you."

The freezing air from the open balcony woke me.

I lay tangled in the hotel sheets. The space beside me was empty.

"Got her." Kaelen’s voice drifted through the gap.

My eyes snapped open in the dark.

"Slipped the powder in her theater cup. She went absolutely crazy for it, man. Screamed my name."

"Yeah, the untouchable virgin routine was bullshit," Kaelen continued. "Give it a week. I'll bring her up to the Long Island house next weekend. You and the boys can take your turns."

I stared at the ceiling.

Whatever tiny seed of guilt I harbored about sacrificing an innocent man vanished entirely. There was no innocent man.

I reached for my coat on the carpet and pulled out my phone.

[I found the target. I am bringing him to the island for the Solstice.]

Siobhan read the text instantly.

The next morning, sunlight poured over the bed. Kaelen handed me a cup of coffee.

"Come to Moray Island with me," I said, tracing the line of his collarbone. "For the Summer Solstice. Meet my family."

He pulled back slightly, his smile hovering.

"Meet your parents? Maeve, it’s been one night."

I forced my breathing to hitch. I let a tear spill hot over my cheek, dipping my chin to look incredibly small and fragile.

"I gave you my first time." I let my voice tremble. "I’ve liked you for three solid years, Kaelen. I just... I need to know you are serious about me."

His brow furrowed. "Three years? Then why did you reject me at the frat house?"

"I thought you were playing a game. I didn't feel like I was enough for you."

His ego instantly inflated.

"Hey, don't cry." He wiped the fake tear from my cheek with his thumb. "I'll pack a bag."

The mainland disappeared behind us.

Two flights. A commercial bus ride. Finally, we stepped onto the rusted iron deck of a private ferry, cutting through the freezing seawater.

Kaelen stood on the deck, wrapping his expensive wool coat over my shoulders to block the wind.

He was maintaining his perfect boyfriend facade flawlessly.

"Your hometown is really off the grid." He looked into the gray abyss.

"My dad died at sea when I was young. My brother requires a lot of care. It's just my mother and us." I leaned my head against his solid chest, feeling the thick, powerful muscle beneath his shirt. "You will understand our rules soon enough."

The ferry hull ground against the wooden docks of Moray Island.

Siobhan stood waiting by the jagged black rocks. The fog clung to her dark hair. She gave birth to me at sixteen. Now, in her early thirties, she looked like a predator in her prime.

She didn't look at my face. She didn't offer a greeting.

Her eyes locked dead onto Kaelen.

Siobhan’s gaze dragged from his broad shoulders, down his chest, lingering on his narrow waist and thick thighs.

It was a blatant, aggressive appraisal.

"You brought a good one." Siobhan stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs.—"

Siobhan reached out and grabbed the thick strap of Kaelen's massive canvas duffel bag.

He held on to it. "I got it. I can't let a woman carry my heavy bags."

Siobhan yanked the bag out of his grip with terrifying ease.

"Women do the heavy lifting here," Siobhan said, her red lips curving into a sharp, hungry smile. "Men belong in bed. That is where you do your actual job."

Kaelen froze. He looked at me, genuine confusion fracturing his confident mask.

I coughed loudly, stepping between them. "Let's go inside. I'm freezing."